Angela Davis Quotes

“We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society.” (“Angela Davis Quote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web.”) Angela Yvonne Davis was an activist, an educator, and a politician. Aside from doing this, she was a major impact on feminist rights for the African American community. This essay will include Angela Davis’ Impact on the male but mainly female African American Community, and to the everyday society. Angela Davis’ philosophical side, and her personal and background life. Will also be included.
Born in Birmingham Alabama in 1944, on January 26. Davis was brought up right in the heart of the civil rights act. Davis and her mom who was an elementary school teacher, and Davis’ father were an owner of a service station, Along with her brother and sister, originally the Davis family grew up in the projects of Alabama, but knew this was not an appropriate place to raise a family. So the Davis’ packed their bags and moved to a neighborhood also known as “Dynamite Hill”. Davis’ neighborhood received this nickname, because the white supremacists, also known as the “Ku Klux Klan” would randomly bomb the homes of African American families.(“ "Angela Davis." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web.”)
The Davis’ were lucky enough to never get bombed. Once Davis was a teenager, she moved to

New York City with her mother, so her mother could pursue her dream of receiving her master’s degree at New York University. When Davis was living in New York City, she attended Elizabeth Irwin High School, the high school was considered to be leftist, mainly because a number of the staff had been put on the blacklist, during the McCarthy era due to their contribution to the communist activist protests.
In 1961 Davis attended Brandeis University, in Waltham Massachusetts. While she was enrolled there she studied abroad for a year in Paris, France. When she returned from France she was so distraught hearing about the death of four girls, due to a bombing that occurred in her hometown, she knew right then and there that something had to be done. Davis went back to get her major in french literature in France. When Davis returned she had a revelation and realized that meeting people from around the world, the U.S. needed to tear down this cultural bearer. Come to terms of all people and whatever color, or religion they are. We are all people inhabited on this earth. After this revelation Davis had a strong interest in philosophy, Davis received an internship to travel to Germany to work with famous german philosopher Herbert Marcuse. Davis fell in love with philosophy and received a scholarship to travel to Germany again, alone to study the famous philosophers, Kant, Georg Hegel, and Karl Marx. (“ "Davis, Angela Yvonne." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005, "Davis, Angela Yvonne." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2016, and "Davis, Angela Yvonne." World Encyclopedia. 2005. "Davis, Angela Yvonne." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 01 Jan. 2005. Web.”).
Angela Davis’ love for philosophy really made a huge impact on the person she soon became. Davis was against segregation of all types and means, in particular, the female African American Society. Davis’ philosophy was very similar to , Sartre. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was a famous french philosopher that Davis was very familiar with. Sartre’s view of racism and segregation were very similar to how Davis believed and what she thought was right. After this experience with philosophy, Davis kept on doing what she thought was right.
In 1963 Angela Davis officially joined the civil rights movement. One day Davis and her younger sister Fania walked into a shoe store and pretended to be a non-English speaking visitors from France. The salesman treated them just as if they were caucasian, and then Davis declared, in English “ It’s pretty sad when all black people have to do is pretend to be from another country, to be treated better than the actual citizens of this country are.” !!!!!!! Davis was upset at the idea of the blacks having to sit at the back of the bus, or use the back door to a certain store, or even use a total separate drinking fountain from the Caucasians. In 1967 Davis was heavily influenced on the black power advocates and decided to become a part of the student nonviolent coordinating committee, and then eventually the black panther party. During all this protesting and advocating she continued on with her education, earning her M.A. from the University of San Diego, California, in 1968. Davis continued on with her beliefs and rights, she never lost touch with those. Every time she stood up for her beliefs, Davis’ power grew stronger. The same year Davis graduated in 1968, She became a member of the American Communist Party. In 1969 Davis was hired at The University of California, in Los Angeles. Where she was a professor of philosophy. She worked at the University for a short while, until they found out she was working with the communist party, which led to her dismissal at the University. Davis wasn’t all that shocked, but she certainly wasn’t going to let one layoff, prevent her from standing up for her rights, and beliefs. After she was let go from the University of California. Davis joined yet another program, which was out to get better living conditions for prison inmates. Davis was so into the program about creating better-living conditions, that she actually worked on making a campaign. Davis worked on the campaign with the “Soledad brothers”. The Soledad brothers were two African American prisoners who were a part of the “Black Panther Party”. The Soledad brothers were incarcerated in the late 1960’s. Davis thought this was the perfect example for her campaign.
In early August of 1970, Jonathan Jackson, the little brother of George Jackson attempted to free the Soledad brothers when they were on trial in the Marin County courthouse. The Supreme court judge, Harold Haley caught wind of what was going on, it was already too late. Jonathon, The Soledad brothers, and Supreme Court Justice Harold Haley were all killed in the attempt to freedom. (“ "Flashback: Angela Davis Acquitted Of Charges In 'Soledad Brothers' Case."News One Flashback Angela Davis Acquitted Of Charges In Soledad BrothersCase Comments. N.p., 04 June 2012. Web.”) Even though Davis was not a part of this murder, Davis was still put on trial as a suspect. One thing that was held against Davis was that The guns that were used were registered in her name. Davis took off into hiding to avoid incarceration. Davis was then put on the FBI’s most wanted list. Eventually, Davis was caught. Davis was found a couple months later in New York. After many trials, Davis’ charges were acquitted. After that incident, Ronald Reagan actually governed to ban Davis from teaching any university in California. Even though the governor had banned her, that didn’t stop her from lecturing in San Francisco in 1977.
During Angela Davis’ later years she found love, on July 6, 1980, Angela Davis married Hilton Braithwaite, ever since they have been a happily married couple, and loving parents to their daughter Michaela Angela Davis, and Elenni Davis-Knight.
As Davis grew older, she didn’t let her age or marital status get in the way of her protests and actions.

Davis went on to write several books even to write an Autobiography about herself, and who she became. She also wrote “Woman, Culture, and Politics” in 1989, this book is a collection of excerpts from speeches that go over the woman in today's society, the cultural bearers the U.S. struggles with, and that politics. One of Davis’ other books she published was “ Blues legacies and Black Feminism.” This book really talks about the rights that females had when she was younger and what she and other feminist leaders did to fight for more rights for

women.
In the United States, Woman, the especially women of color and different ethnicities. Have been fighting for equal rights ever since the inception of the constitution and declaration of independence. Although the constitution talks about how everyone is supposed to have equal rights, it mainly serves as a false ideal for freedom and equality. Due to these false ideals, ever since the mid 19th century, the suffrage for women, more importantly, women of color, and different ethnic backgrounds, has been difficult. Women began demanding freedom and empowerment. This fighting and protesting finally paid off, when the 19th amendment was ratified, the 19th amendment stated that women now had the right to vote. This may not seem like a big deal, but at the time, this was a major step for women in the U.S. However one particular group of people were forgotten in the fact of getting equal rights, the blacks. Even though women were given the right to vote. African American females were put on the back burners.
Angela Davis was a powerful woman, not only because she had the courage to stand up for her rights, but because she knew the consequences when she did it. She inspired you men and mostly women, that just because you are a different skin tone, and believe in a different god, doesn’t make you any less of an American Citizen. She understood that The United States of America was a melting pot and we needed to co aside with our differences and truly let freedom ring.